Degradation of trichloroethylene by the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea

Suspensions of Nitrosomonas europaea are shown to cause the complete disappearance of 10 microM trichloroethylene at rates of 1 microM mg protein-1. The reaction continues at nearly this rate for many hours. Fresh cells catalyze the reaction in the absence of added ammonium (presumably utilizing endogenous ammonia or stored reductant). In older cells, trichloroethylene degradation depends on the addition of ammonia. Acetylene, 2-chloro 6-trichloromethylpyridine and alpha alpha'dipyridyl, which inhibit the oxidation of ammonia by cells, inhibit the degradation of trichloroethylene. Thus degradation of trichloroethylene is dependent on- and possibly catalyzed by the ammonia oxidizing enzyme.